I've got the opportunity to ride in and around Moab next week but will have to go at it solo as no one in the party rides. Here's my dilema....I'm no spring chicken but have the heart of a twenty year old (maybe 30 yr old). Are there a handful of trails that I might attempt? I'm obviously not looking for technical or near death experiences, and am not embarrassed to dismount. I've been pouring over maps and books but don't really know how to narrow it down. Thinking of keeping it somewhat shorter distances (10-15) miles at a pop. Thank you all.

Whole Enchilada would probably be my last ride (after looking at the trail description). Maybe someday with a group of riders but not solo. Found the other trail descriptions and I'll look around on that page to find something.

Great Moab trails that will give you a really good time without the OMG, I could die factor:

1. Dead Horse Point State Park. 9 mile loop suitable for a novice, but still great fun for an advanced rider. Superb, unique geography and scenery. Can do quickly and still have time and energy for another ride.

2. The Brands Trails--have every level of difficulty and you can custom tailor a route in the nicely stacked loop system to your liking. Start with EZ or Lazy and then head to Deadman's Ridge if you want some really fun, flowy, moderately techy stuff. If you want more miles, then add on Bar B, Circle O, etc. UtahMountainBiking.com has the best descriptions of these trails.

3. The whole Klondike Bluffs/Baby Steps area is pretty good and theres also the opportunity to custom build a route to your liking. This is a busy area, especially with Jeeps in the Klondike Bluffs area, which surprisingly adds to the fun (and the safety factor).

4. Of course, there's also Slickrock. The main loop is a fairly strenuous 10 miles, but that's the one trail in Moab where you're truly never alone. You'll have fellow riders every inch of the way.

First hit Bartlett Wash. It's a great place to learn sandstone riding. You need a good map to find it.Attempt Porcupine Rim. Can be shuttled. It's moderately tough with lots of 1-3' drops on the long sweet descent. It's a ride you'll never forget. Porc is the end of the Whole Enchilada, tastiest part? Sovereign Trail is another fun ride that would be fine solo.You many not like Slickrock Trail It's a hard workout with very quick grade changes. Some love it. Definately made me sweat, age 50's. Unique.